Either way, the Jordan University of Science and Technology gave 69 pregnant women six date fruits a day for the four weeks before birth. 45 women acted controls and did not get the dates. The results?

The women who ate dates had smoother labor. 96% of their births started naturally (compared to 79% of controls), the date-eaters were more dilated when they came to the hospital and the labor was, on average, SEVEN HOURS SHORTER! They had me at “shorter”. In addition, only 29% of date eaters needed additional prostin/oxycotin to complete labor while 47% of the controls did.

Now this is a small study but the numbers are statistically significant and definitely convincing me to give it a shot. After all, I crave more snacks now and the carb rich dates are full of minerals, vitamins and fibre. Might as well go for six dates a day during my count-down.

I’ve tasted organic dried dates (Brand Urtekram, best for adding to muesli), organic fresh dates (Brand Fontana, creamy texture!) and the super sweet king of dates, organic Medjool dates. The last are most expensive but also most delicious. I need to combine dates with something with fat or protein to lower the blood sugar spike – nuts are a good option. I found a fabulous recipe for date-almond truffles on my favorite food blog, Sprouted Kitchen. You find it, slightly adapted, below.

Dates and nuts chocolate truffles

20 Medjool dates (ca 400 g), pitted and coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla powder or extract

1 deciliter creamy nut butter – I used peanut but almond is great

1 deciliter cup unsweetened coconut (can be omitted)

1 deciliter good quality natural cocoa powder (I like Valrhona)

1/2 tsp. salt, I use gray French salt for added minerals

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 dl toasted almonds, well chopped

I placed all ingredients except the toasted almonds in a strong food processer and let it run until there was a nice paste. Rolled small balls (this batch made 30, the batch can be halved) which I pressed into the chopped almonds. Rolling in finely shredded coconut (unsweetened) is also an option. Keeps for a week or more refrigerated, can be frozen.

An excellent, albeit caloric, snack or candy for kids and adults. Tastes positively delicious. As the Medjool dates are so large, I’ve counted each truffle as one date for my “six-a-day”.

Rosacea combined with pregnancy place strains on my skin care routine. Since getting a plus on that stick, I have replaced all my skincare with organic versions. We do take up chemicals through the skin and parabens, PEGs and sodium laureth sulfate are now banned in my bathroom. Parabens, preservatives found in 85 percent of cosmetics, bother me especially as they mimic estrogen in the body. Sure, it’s a weak effect but anything that falls in the category “endocrine disruptive chemicals” are off the table for me as long as I’m pregnant or breast feeding.

Now to the next problem. I have spent YEARS finding products that work well for my terribly sensitive and dry skin. Not only do I have eczema and rosacea, the pregnancy brought on Perioral Dermatitis (flaky breakouts around the nose, mouth and eyes related to rosacea). Only now I could not take antibiotics to stave it off. So I needed really calming, organic skin care products that still felt good on my dry skin and gave some sense of luxury. As well as a tinted moisturizer that didn’t cake or end up looking flaky by the end of the day. I tried SO MANY PRODUCTS! And read SO MANY INGREDIENTS LISTS. I even did trials where I ran two creams on two halves of my face for a week to see what was best at staving off breakouts. Luckily, I found my favorites and my face is now balanced and 90% happy without antibiotics. The last 10% go up and down, probably related to the pregnancy hormones.

Might as well share results. Do note that these creams all work wonders for anyone who is looking for good, nourishing skin care!

Best organic creams for Rosacea/Perioral Dermatitis:

Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue – popular, luxurious and natural alternative favored by many bloggers. Was my go-to when the break-out was the worst! Smells lovely. Pricey but worth it. Best product for PD I have tried to date.

Egyptian Magic – Just a handful of ingredients – olive oil, bees wax, propolis… This cult cream a very oily, rich option for nights where winter weather required more nourishment for my flaky skin. No calming properties but didn’t irritate.

Weleda Baby Nappy Change Cream – at night, when I had my worst breakouts, I would put on some of this. The zink and calendula was healing and calming but the white residue did not make it suitable for daytime.

Makeup has been hard. Most people I know with rosacea use mineral makeup. For me, with flaky skin, that looks caked. I use very lightly tinted moisturizers.

Galénic Teint Lumiere – a favorite from a French pharmacy. Hard to find and not organic, though it does not contain the chemicals I try to avoid. Very light tint and softly moisturizing, it did not irritate the Perioral Dermatitis or even look like I was wearing makeup. It just smoothed everything out, calmed it down.

Dr Hauschka Tinted Day Cream– one of my favorite natural brands, even if their calming creams did not do it for me. This tinted moisturizer is so far the only organic one I have found at a decent price that is so moisturizing it does not make my skin look dry by the end of the day. Quite rich, and a darker tone to make you look “sun kissed” but works well with a touch of powder. If heavier creams are a trigger for your rosacea/PD, I might be careful with this one.

These are great products for dry or dry-normal skin but both Jurlique and Estelle&Thild have products for normal or oily-normal skin as well. All the brands above are solid choices!

Since last summer, I have been clearing my cupboards from strong cleaning products and everything with sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate – very common detergents and known skin irritants.

A few years ago I took the step from “regular” laundry detergent, generally whatever was branded and on sale, to products marked with the Swedish Svanen Ecolabel (for environmentally sound products, though Ecolabelled does NOT mean organic). I also left synthetic perfumes behind, both because I have tendencies towards allergies and because my profession as a wine expert makes my nose sensitive to excessive scents in the home.

When we decided to start a family (i.e. get me preggers), I felt maybe Svanen + no perfume wasn’t enough. Ever since an enlightening conversation with a world leading researcher on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals I’ve spent time reading up on these and the Cocktail Effect. I’ll write more about it later but it has lead me to want to reduce chemicals in the home, big time.

I’ve passed on the “hippie products” with very varied reviews, such as soap nuts. I’ve tried most of the stuff you mix at home from vinegar/lemon/sodium bicarbonate etc and found it’s not my preferred option (I’m convenient and like products that can replace my old ones with no trouble; same dosage, same “texture”, nice scents). I’ll occasionally use the fabulous Dr. Bronner Castille soap but more for general cleaning, not so much for laundry.

In the USA there are lots of products to choose from, but in Europe (especially Sweden) the selection is much more limited. My product of choice has become the Ecover range of detergents, which is fairly easy to find and that I’m very happy with. As they are sliiightly more expensive than my previous choices (generally decent pick Skona), I googled every single ingredient and found that yes, Ecover Zero does contain better ingredients with less risk of irritation or toxicity, no palm oil derivatives or ingredients with known endocrine or toxic effects. From their site, Ecover is all about being environmentally friendly, but in the process, they seem to have ditched the chemicals that I worry about for my health and my growing belly.

I have tried the regular detergents and the conditioners/softeners and been very happy with the results. Clothes get clean. Smell good. These will be filling my laundry room from now on, purchased online for better pricing. For my silk lingerie and cashmere, I use the delicious-smelling Fine Wash with Orange Oil from Swedish “hipster” brand Tangent Garment Care. A treat, if you find it.